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God Has Made Bible Prophecy Plain To See Through The Nation Of Israel – By Robert Gottselig - https://harbingersdaily.com/god-has-made-bible-prophecy-plain-to-see-through-the-nation-of-israel/
Last week, I discussed praying for Israel as a major attack from Iran and Hezbollah seemed imminent. However, so far, at the time of this writing, that has not yet happened, nor has Israel made any preemptive strikes. I urged people to pray for Israel and her leaders to be wise to the schemes of those who wish them dead. I also prayed that, ultimately, God would intervene—as things in Israel could get very bad very quickly should an all-out war or attack happen on the Jewish State. Not everyone on the internet liked what I had to say. Among the comments were “Free Palestine,” “I think I’m going to puke,” and others who labeled me as a “genocide reverend” and “enemy of God.” This article is for the haters of Israel. Modern-day Israel is a miracle through which God is trying to get the attention of the world today. One of God’s greatest signatures outside of creation that proves His existence is Bible prophecy, where the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone predicts the future with 100% accuracy. Don’t believe me? Read God’s Word in Isaiah 42:9, where He says: “Behold, the former things have come to pass, And new things I declare; Before they spring forth I tell you of them.” About one-third of the Bible is prophetic in nature, with many prophecies already fulfilled literally. There are also many that are taking shape, and we can see the stage being set in our day for Bible prophecy to be fulfilled in the future. When it comes to Israel, God’s Word screams to the world that He is real and that His Word is trustworthy and true. The haters and others would see that if only they would read it and believe. I think of Ezekiel 36. God scattered the Jewish people because of their disobedience to the four corners of the earth, and when they were scattered, they profaned His holy name. But God says, “I will sanctify My great name.” God made promises to Israel. He made promises in His Word; if He doesn’t keep those promises, then He is a liar—and that’s the crux of the matter. Satan is always trying to thwart God’s Word to prove God to be a liar. But God says in Ezekiel 36:23-24, “‘I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the LORD,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘when I am hallowed in you before their eyes.” And this is how the Lord is going to do that: “I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.'” God has a plan where he’s going to save them physically and spiritually one day, as it says in verses 25-26, “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you… I will give you a new heart.” That is the new covenant promise we read in Jeremiah chapter 31. God has made Bible Prophecy plain to see through the nation of Israel. He has gathered them out of all countries and is bringing them back into their own land. God has done this so that we will see it and come to know Him. Do you know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? What other nation on earth has been scattered from their ancestral homeland for 2,000 years only to return, bring the land back to life, rebuild their waste cities, restore their language, and make the desert blossom as a rose? That’s what God said would happen. Amos 9:14-15 says, “‘I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,’ Says the Lord your God.” Because He regathered His chosen people back to the land before our very eyes, God says in Ezekiel 36 that “the nations shall know that I am the LORD.” For those making anti-Israel statements, do you not see the hand of God? Do you not know what the prophetic word of God teaches? To put it very simply, as Dave Hunt used to say, do you want to know that the Bible is true and that you can rely on it with all your heart? Look to Israel! The Jewish people would be scattered across the world for 2,000 years, yet God would preserve them. They were persecuted. They had every right to inter-marry and to lose their identity, but they remained an identifiable ethnic group for thousands of years and were brought back into their own land. They were also a nation born in a single day, just as God’s Word foretold they would be in Isaiah 66:8. Not only that, but God says, “And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it” (Zechariah 12:3). What the prophet Zachariah wrote 2,500 years ago in the 12th chapter. It’s a warning for all those who hate Israel. Today, the world is ignorant of what God has said through His prophets and is more sympathetic to the so-called “Palestinians” and their revision of history than they are to the Jewish people—whose heritage is written all over the land. When I take people to Israel, we see the Bible come to life. Everywhere Israel sticks a shovel in the ground, it does not bring up archaeological evidence for Palestinians, who have revised history; it brings up the heritage of the Jewish people. Wake up, haters of Israel, and see what God is doing! Let the words of Nehemiah 2:20 sink in: “The God of heaven Himself will prosper us [the Jewish People]; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you [the national enemies of Israel] have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem.” Has God supernaturally thwarted Iran & Hezbollah from launching apocalyptic missile attacks against Israel? Or is the attack still coming? - Joel C. Rosenberg - https://allisrael.com/has-god-supernaturally-thwarted-iran-and-hezbollah-from-launching-apocalyptic-missile-attacks-against-israel-or-is-the-attack-still-coming Here are 3 biblical stories of God's protection to study and consider at this dangerous hour Why hasn't the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah, its terror proxy army in Lebanon, launched thousands of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and suicide drones at Israel? For weeks, the Israeli military has been on the highest possible alert. Ten million Israeli citizens are trying to go about their days normally but are all highly cognizant of the fact that a full-scale attack – and a massive new regional war – could occur at any moment. Upwards of two dozen international airlines have canceled flights to and from Israel. Yet, so far, the attack has not come. Why not? IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER SPEAKS OF "DIVINE WRATH" Ever since Fuad Shukr, the #2-ranking Hezbollah leader, was assassinated in his apartment in Beirut -- and Ismail Haniyeh, the #1 top leader of Hamas, was assassinated in Tehran on July 31 -- Israel's mortal enemies have been vowing revenge. In his Aug. 1 speech, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's top leader, vowed to punish Israel terribly. "Our response is coming, Allah willing," Nasrallah declared. Because the "precious blood" of his deputy, Fuad Shukr, has been shed, "the resistance [Hezbollah's army] cannot -- no matter what the consequences -- remain idle." "Our response will be strong, impactful, and effective," the Hezbollah leader insisted. For his part, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – Iran's so-called "Supreme Leader" – went even further. Not only did he vow to inflict revenge on Israel, he declared that the Iranian regime would experience "divine wrath" if it even hesitated to retaliate for the deaths of its top terror proxy leaders. WHAT, THEN, IS TAKING SO LONG? Many Israelis, as well as many Palestinians, and Arabs throughout the Epicenter, are baffled that apocalypse-level attacks have not yet come. What's taking so long? Hezbollah has more than 150,000 rockets and missiles on or near launchers in Lebanon, aimed at Israel, and ready to fire. Experts tell me Nasrallah could fire upwards of 4,000 missiles a day at Israel for a month or more and still have tens of thousands left in reserve. Why hasn't he? Has the Supreme Leader of Iran ordered Nasrallah to attack and Nasrallah is hesitating, or outright refusing? Or is it the Ayatollah Khamenei who is hesitating to give the order, either to Hezbollah or to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps? It would seem more likely that Khamenei and Nasrallah are hesitating than that their subordinates are not obeying direct orders to unleash hell on "the Zionist entity." To be sure, it's possible that both are using these weeks to prepare for a massive strike, or just a limited one. It's also possible that as they prepare for their revenge option, Khamenei and Nasrallah believe they are inflicting sufficient psychological and economic damage on Israel by having the threat of a massive missile attack looming but not yet occurring. IS GOD HIMSELF THWARTING THE ATTACK? While all these are possible, there is another possibility that Christians should consider. Perhaps God Himself is supernaturally thwarting Iran and Hezbollah from taking their revenge. Perhaps the fact that (as of the publication of this column) no massive attack has come, is powerful evidence that the prayers of millions of Evangelicals and other Christians for "the peace of Jerusalem" are working. Perhaps we are seeing God's divine protection at work. II KINGS 6: THE STORY OF GOD SUPERNATURALLY THWARTING AN ATTACK FROM SYRIA Throughout the Bible, we read of multiple occasions when God supernaturally thwarts attacks against Israel. In II Kings, chapter six, for example, we read the story of the king of Aram (the ancient name for the lands that are modern-day Syria) plotting to attack and destroy Israel. Yet time after time, the scriptures tell us that God told the Hebrew prophet Elisha exactly what location the Aramean military forces would be coming to. Elisha, in turn, told the king of Israel, who promptly ordered Israel's army to those locations to block an Aramean invasion. This happened so often that the king of Aram became furious because he thought there was a pro-Israel mole in his inner circle. "This enraged the king of Aram," we read in II Kings 6:11-12. "He summoned his officers and demanded of them, 'Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?'" "None of us, my Lord the king," said one of his officers. "But Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom." So, the king of Aram orders his army to hunt down and assassinate Elisha. But this plot, too, God foils. As Elisha prays, the Spirit of God reveals to him – and to Elisha's young assistant – both the plot of the enemy as well as the fact that God is again going to thwart the plans of the enemy. 2 CHRONICLES 20: THE STORY OF GOD SUPERNATURALLY THWARTING AN ATTACK FROM JORDAN Another great example of God stopping an enemy due to prayer can be found in 2 Chronicles, chapter 20. That time, Jehoshaphat – the king of Judah – is informed by his advisors that "a vast army is coming against you from Edom" (the land today is known as the Kingdom of Jordan). "Alarmed, Jehoshaphat resolved to inquire of the Lord, and he proclaimed a fast for all Judah," the Bible tells us. "The people of Judah came together to seek help from the Lord; indeed, they came from every town in Judah to seek Him." (2 Chronicles 20:3) The God of Israel hears those prayers and is pleased with them. He sends a message to the king and people of Judah that He will fight for them. “Listen, King Jehoshaphat and all who live in Judah and Jerusalem! This is what the Lord says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s...You will not have to fight this battle. Take up your positions; stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you, Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Go out to face them tomorrow, and the Lord will be with you.'...[So,] Jehoshaphat bowed down with his face to the ground, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord." (2 Chronicles 20:15-18) The next morning, fortified by so much prayer and worship, and so deeply encouraged by the Lord's direct word to him, King Jehoshaphat is inspired to send the worship leaders out ahead of Judah's army, singing and praising and lifting up the name of the Lord as they headed east to meet the approaching "vast army." Again, God was pleased and He moved in power. "As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated," we read in 2 Chronicles 20:22. Sure enough, God had kept His word. The enemy forces were utterly defeated. No one in Israel actually had to fight. Instead, they rejoiced for days in the sweet knowledge that God had supernaturally intervened to thwart the enemy's attack. "Then, led by Jehoshaphat, all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem, for the Lord had given them cause to rejoice over their enemies. They entered Jerusalem and went to the temple of the Lord with harps and lyres and trumpets. The fear of God came on all the surrounding kingdoms when they heard how the Lord had fought against the enemies of Israel. And the kingdom of Jehoshaphat was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side." THE BOOK OF ESTHER: THE STORY OF GOD SUPERNATURALLY THWARTING AN ATTACK FROM IRAN While there are many other examples in the Bible, let me just cite one more. Read the Book of Esther – that's right, all of it. There, you'll learn about a wicked man named Haman, the second most powerful man in the ancient Persian (Iranian) empire. One day, Haman becomes so enraged at one Jewish man he believes is disrespecting him that Haman persuades the Supreme Leader of Persia to "annihilate" every Jew living between Ethiopia and India. Yes, that's the very word that Haman uses – he wants to "annihilate" all Jews. But you'll also read about a godly man named Mordechai and his godly cousin, Esther. As they fast and pray for the safety and salvation of the Jewish people – and mobilize their friends to join – God is pleased with them. He hears their prayers, supernaturally thwarts the plot of Haman, and saves the entire Jewish nation from annihilation. WHAT THREE LESSONS SHOULD WE TAKE AWAY TODAY? I believe there are three important lessons that we should take away from these biblical stories for our situation today. First, God loves to hear and respond favorably to the faithful, earnest, and unceasing prayers and fasting, and the heartfelt praise and worship of His people. So, let us keep praying for the God of Israel to thwart the evil plans of Israel's enemies and pray for the safety and salvation of Israel. Second, God does not want us to cower in fear but to live with great trust and confidence in His care and protection. So, let us keep turning to Him, keep reading His Word, and keep focusing on His promises to guard and watch over us. Third, God may choose in His sovereign will to let our enemies attack -- but He promises never to leave or forsake His true children, He promises those who love and serve him with their whole hearts that in the end justice will be done, and He promises that Israel's enemies will be vanquished in the end. So, even if He allows Iran and Hezbollah and others to attack, let's not panic. Let's keep trusting Him and asking Him to show us how we can be a light for Jesus Christ in the darkness. PROPHECY UPDATE VIDEOS
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DONATE HERE Your can also mail your support to: Prophecy Update PO Box 40516 Bakersfield, CA 93384 How Soon Before You’ll Need a Digital ID to Access Public Services? - by Michael Nevradakis, Ph.D. - https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/digital-id-access-public-services-biden-administration/ The Biden administration is drafting an executive order for federal and state governments to speed up the adoption of digital ID and for the development of a uniform, government-run online identity system to verify identity and age, and access public websites and services. The Biden administration is drafting an executive order for federal and state governments to speed up the adoption of digital ID — including mobile driver’s licenses — and for the development of a uniform, government-run online identity system to verify identity and age, and access public websites and services. NOTUS, a nonprofit news outlet, obtained a draft of the executive order, which states: “It is the policy of the executive branch to strongly encourage the use of digital identity documents.” According to NOTUS, the executive order “could reshape how Americans access government services, and potentially behave online.” A digital ID system could operate with the use of biometric scans like facial recognition to “help better verify identity online,” NOTUS reported, noting the federal government is working with Apple and Google to build systems that would “allow Americans to carry identity documents on their smartphones and frictionlessly submit them to both government and private sector websites for verification.” Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D., author of “The Great Reset and the Struggle for Liberty: Unraveling the Global Agenda,” told The Defender that, as defined by the World Economic Forum (WEF), “digital identity is ‘the sum total of the growing and evolving mass of information about us, our profiles and the history of our activities online.’” Rectenwald said: “Digital identity is not merely a new, more handy, lightweight, digital form of identification. It refers to a collection of data that purportedly defines who we are, including what we do both online and offline … and not merely to a means by which we can be identified as such.” Alexis Hancock, director of engineering for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told The Defender the Biden administration’s digital ID will disproportionately target the poor and underprivileged. She said: “Digital Identity and the standards that dictate them are still very ‘new’ and yet the White House is expediting digital identity for the most vulnerable of populations: people on public benefits. “Deploying various technologies on this population to access their benefits, such as facial recognition is not something I’d encourage or advise. Especially with facial recognition being fraught with issues of discrimination.” Rectenwald also warned that digital ID can later be expanded to other functions. “Even if a digital identity system only serves as identification at first, as the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice notes, digital identities are prone to ‘function creep’” — that is, “they are intended to be used for multiple purposes that are unforeseen when the system is first designed,” he said. Tim Hinchliffe, editor of The Sociable, cited vaccine passports as one such possibility. “While the federal government wasn’t able to legally mandate vaccination to all U.S. citizens, it went ahead anyway and mandated it to federal employees, and the private sector followed suit. … The same can easily happen with digital identity,” Hinchliffe said. The NOTUS report comes just days after revelations that the Social Security numbers and other personal information of practically all Americans stored by a private company, National Public Data, was breached in April 2024. Catherine Austin Fitts, founder and publisher of the Solari Report and former U.S. assistant secretary of Housing and Urban Development, said, “Rather than apologize or take steps to make sure that our data is secure, the Biden administration is proposing to create even more centrally controlled databases pushing for a digital ID.” ‘Big Tech manages digital ID and is far more powerful than governments’ According to NOTUS, 13 states have rolled out “some kind of mobile driver’s license program” and more are working toward implementing a digital ID. “But federal action pushing the transition has been delayed” — creating a hodgepodge of state digital ID systems that are not coordinated at the federal level. According to IDScan.net, the 13 states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio and Utah. Ohio launched digital driver’s licenses and state IDs earlier this month. Similar programs are “in progress” in an additional 14 states, while in two states — Louisiana and Mississippi — mobile ID can be used to vote. At least seven countries have launched digital ID, according to Identity.com. These include Canada, Estonia, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore and Sweden. The European Union (EU) launched its digital ID and wallet earlier this year. Each of the 27 EU member states “will offer at least one version of the EU Digital Identity Wallet,” which may include driver’s licenses, personal health data, travel documents, social security information, personal SIM cards, university diplomas and also may be connected to one’s bank accounts. In Greece, ticketing via the government’s “digital wallet” is required to attend sporting events. But despite the purported convenience “digital wallets” may offer, there are also potential risks. “If you lose your laminated driver’s license, you can just get a new one,” attorney Greg Glaser said. “But if you lose your biometric ID, you cannot get a new thumb or new eyeball, so hacks are permanent.” Experts also warned of Big Tech involvement in government digital ID schemes. “Big Tech manages digital ID and is far more powerful than governments,” Glaser said. “Big Tech has the patents, and they dictate both the standards and implementation.” He added: “Their long game in the cybersecurity industry is to centralize data processing so that our state and local governments become dependent on the cybersecurity industry to function day-to-day. This is called ‘digital public infrastructure,’ and it is no small thing, because it neutralizes local power and governance.” For instance, several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland and Ohio, offer their digital ID cards and driver’s licenses via Apple Wallet. Earlier this month, Apple announced that California will soon offer these documents via Apple Wallet as well. According to NOTUS, although the federal government has developed Login.gov as “the standard credential for accessing federal websites,” many such sites, including that of the IRS, use “the Virginia-based start-up ID.me,” a private company. “Through public-private partnerships, digital identity can be very convenient for citizen interactions with governments and corporations, but it can also be a tool for total surveillance and control,” Hinchliffe said. He added: “Just like the jabs, digital identity doesn’t have to be forcibly mandated to make your life miserable, but without it, you may not be able to make financial transactions, acquire a driver’s license, go to school or even access the internet.” Gavel and money vaccines According to NOTUS though, fraud involving the lack of a uniform age and identity verification system — including through state driver’s licenses that are relatively easy to forge — has cost the U.S. government billions of dollars and is a key driver of the Biden administration’s draft executive order. “The draft order, if implemented, would ostensibly address a growing problem: The government has lost billions of dollars in fraudulent claims to benefit programs using forged identification cards.” Most state driver’s license systems do not connect to identity verification services that match faces to IDs. “The result is growing interest in creating a form of digital ID to use on the web,” NOTUS reported. “Joe Biden first promised an executive order in his 2022 State of the Union address, but it has been stuck in a bureaucratic turf war over what it should include.” According to the draft executive order, people will not be required to submit to automated facial recognition scans. The executive order also would prohibit the government and contractors from selling biometric data and using that kind of data for anything other than identity verification. Hancock said that while she agrees with the proposal for “more account controls for people who are at risk for fraud, like requiring multi-factor authentication and ways to recover their benefits if their credentials are compromised,” she questioned whether the White House’s proposed executive order would sufficiently address data safety. “While there are some statements in the White House’s plans that seem protective of privacy and consent in using digital identity mechanisms to combat fraud, I am wary that digital identity will lessen or mitigate fraud at scale … This would take more robust technical support with more human aid-like useful technical support call lines and translators,” she said. Fitts said, “Digital IDs are the essential step to the WEF vision of ‘Welcome to 2030. I own nothing, have no privacy, and life has never been better.’” “I do hope that with this call for digital identity, is followed by strong and robust privacy protections for our data and not naiveté that digital identity itself is the solution,” Hancock said. Establishment of CBDC the true goal of digital ID? Experts also told The Defender that despite the Biden administration’s safety assurances, government-run digital ID programs launched in other countries have been prone to breaches. In “the process of all the data centralization … citizens increasingly lose privacy while the authorities hypocritically claim digital wallets provide greater privacy because they are more secure against theft,” Glaser said. “The authorities’ claim is at best untested and at worst outright false — as India’s recent Aadhaar security breach showed, with about 60% of India’s 1.3 billion population hacked and exposed on the dark web,” Glaser said. Aadhaar, India’s national digital ID system, has been mired in controversy. Promoted by Bill Gates, Aadhaar was recently linked with India’s new digital health certificates. “If you want to see how digital identity gets adopted on a massive scale, take a look at India’s Aadhaar digital identity system. For more than a decade, the government said that digital identity would be voluntary, but then banks and local governments started mandating its use,” Hinchliffe said. This “made people’s lives difficult to live without the digital ID. Now, India boasts that around 1.2 billion citizens have ‘voluntarily’ signed up for digital ID,” Hinchliffe added. Some experts argued that the Biden administration’s true goal with digital ID is to lay the groundwork for the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). “The reason that the Biden Administration wants a digital ID is so that the Federal Reserve and the banking system can move to an all-digital financial control system that will use ‘programmable money’ [which] will permit taxation without representation and negative interest rates,” Fitts said. Similarly, Rectenwald said, “Digital identity is the lynchpin for instituting a CBDC, which the Biden administration has said in an executive order that it — and by extension, the Harris regime — intends to implement.” CBDC could be used to shut people with non-establishment opinions out of public life, Rectenwald warned. “Linked with CBDC, digital identity could bar these ‘undesirables’ from the economy,” he said, citing people whose bank accounts were frozen for supporting or participating in the Canadian Freedom Convoy. Nearing Midnight: What Can the Righteous Do? – Jonathan Brentner - https://www.raptureready.com/category/nearing-midnight/ Long ago, David asked a question that’s on the minds of many believers today. “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). In other words, what do we do as the political and moral supports of society fall to ruins around us? Does this not sum up what we see today? The manipulation of politics in the U.S. has recently become front and center for all to see. Despite receiving no votes in the primaries, the delegates to the Democratic convention had no choice but to select Kamila Harris as their nominee for president during a binding preconvention tally. The subsequent selection of Tim Walz as her running mate highlights the deplorable moral depravity of America. As Minnesota’s governor, he not only signed legislation permitting abortion up to the time of birth but also approved a law that permits the killing of babies that survive it, infanticide. Walz also made his state a safe haven for children seeking horrific and wicked transgenderism procedures, which are destroying the lives of so many kids today. How is it possible that such a morally depraved and vile man is on the ticket for the highest office in America? The woeful state of society today is the result of Satan’s prolonged attacks, which the Psalmist described in the preceding verse, “For behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart” (Psalm 11:2). The image is that of the wicked lurking in dark shadows waiting for an opportunity to ambush the righteous. Today, the devil’s minions no longer hide; they fire their deadly arrows in broad daylight. How are we to respond to the perilous times in which we live? Resist the Temptation to Hide from Reality If you are like me, there are times when you just want to run away from it all and pretend that the horrors of our day simply don’t exist. David expressed that same impulse in Psalm 11:1. “In the Lord I take refuge, how can you say to my soul, ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain.'” As David considered the turmoil of his day with King Saul in charge and the constant threat to his life, he considered the option of completely running far away from the danger. Most commentators believe that this counsel came from his advisors, although some regard this as an inward discussion. Does this option not seem appealing today? We feel the lure of allowing entertainment, sports, travel, smartphones, and other pleasures to distract us from the real world and the dangers that threaten our livelihood. There’s nothing inherently wrong with these things as long as we do not let them dull our senses to dangers afoot in our world and the lateness of the hour in which we live. Run to the Lord Rather than ignore the evil of his day, David ran to the Lord. He filled his mind with truths regarding His sovereignty, His all-knowing and all-seeing characteristics. He could face the perils of life because his hope rested in the One who controls all things. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man” (Psalm 11:4). The One who loves justice (see Psalm 37:28) sees all the wickedness, deception, and violence that we do and so much more! David could face the threats to his life because he remained confident that the Lord “hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (v. 5). Of course, David took steps to protect himself from Saul, but he resisted the temptation to flee far away. Instead, he ran to the Lord. A realistic look at our world generates fears within us. Those seeking to enslave the people under a tyrannical world government talk openly of drastically reducing the world’s population. I understand the desire to flee to the distractions around us rather than believe the elite of our world actually desire to kill most of us and are actively working toward that goal. But is it not better to run to the Lord and rest in His promises? For us, that signifies eagerly awaiting Jesus’ appearing (Philippians 3:20-21). Trust the Lord to Deal with the Wicked Not only does the Lord provide a safe haven to which we can run, but we also have the assurance that He most certainly will judge the wicked. In verse 6, David prayed: “Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.” Although David’s request sounds harsh to modern ears, it rightly portrays the fate of the wicked who persist in rejecting the Lord. Yes, there will be a day of reckoning before God for all the unsaved of all the ages (Revelation 20:11-15). However, David asks God to judge the wicked in real-time, such as what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah. Someday, perhaps quite soon, the Lord will exact a horrible price on the wicked for the evil and deception that they impose upon the world (read Psalm 75:6-8). Those killing and destroying children will forever regret their actions. They will watch as Jesus destroys their kingdom in real-time (Revelation chapters 6-18), and later, He will sentence them to the lake of fire. Do we not, at times, feel helpless as we watch evil and deception grow in our world? In Psalm 37:1-20, David tells us not to let these things fill us with anger but rather to trust our Lord, the righteous judge, to deal with the wicked of our day. Psalm 11 speaks to the day in which we live. We do face the temptation to flee to the distractions of our day rather than face the perils that loom on the horizon. When we do gaze upon the perils of our day, do we not feel anger rising within us? This Psalm reminds us that God is surely in control, and He will do all that He promises us in His word. Someday, we will “behold his face” (Psalm 11:7); we will surely meet Him in the air. Maranatha!!!! Daily Jot: Should Christians vote for sinful candidates – Bill Wilson – www.dailyjot.com Many Daily Jot readers have expressed a concern about voting in the upcoming election. Their concern is that both candidates are sinful. Kamala Harris for not only her character but also her stances on issues. Donald Trump for his character. The common question is, “Should Christians compromise the principles of God by voting for knowingly sinful candidates?” The other question is, “are there any scriptures that support compromising conviction for the “greater good?” Are Christians supposed to “hold their nose” and vote for the candidate that best aligns with God’s principles when both candidates are known sinners or are they to not vote at all? To many the answer is simple. Others struggle with it. A Daily Jot reader recently wrote: “I am truly struggling with the idea of maintaining my civic responsibilities which would lead me to compromise my obedience to the Word of God and my convictions. I have ALWAYS been a "you must vote...it is your privilege and duty to do so" person… with these types of candidates from both sides of the aisle, who openly deny protecting the life of the unborn, deny the Biblical definition of marriage, openly espouse the acceptance of sin, openly encourage people to lie or compromise "for the greater good," I am struggling to be willing to vote for any of them. My question is...how do you reconcile civic responsibility with Biblical responsibility? Romans 12:21 says, “Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.” To me, the platform of one party is inherently evil. That party’s candidates are also very lost and often evil. And we can see what it is doing to this country. They demand we accept evil. Voting for those candidates is voting for an evil agenda. Another verse that comes to mind is Ephesians 6:11-13 where we are exhorted to put on the whole armor of God so that we can stand against the wiles of the devil and having done all, to stand. None of this is saying there is compromise by standing against evil. If you think the Republican Party is evil, maybe parts of it are. But compared to the Democratic Party and its candidates, there is clearly a difference. David Brody reports that over 200,000 Evangelicals for Harris/Walz have signed up to volunteer and vote for the Democratic Party ticket. God has supreme authority over all things. He also delights in seeing how his people allow him to work through them. If, for example, Trump wins and God didn’t want it, Trump would not be there. Meantime, we have the God-given freedom to vote and choose. There is perfect liberty in Christ and God is a God of freedom. We have choices to make. Voting is one of them and responsible citizenship requires it. Vote for the person you believe best represents the precepts of God. But not voting is shirking the responsibility of freedom—freedom granted by God. As John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” We are experiencing the consequences of our choice in leaders. The virtuous need to vote. Daily Devotion: The Wrong Way to Search for Happiness - by Greg Laurie – www.harvest.org Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. —Psalm 119:1 https://harvest.org/resources/devotion/the-wrong-way-to-search-for-happiness/ - Listen Many people today who are searching for happiness never will quite find it. As we look at celebrities with all their accomplishments, all their fame, and all their money, so many of them live miserable, empty lives. They’re searching for something in the wrong way. Happiness is a by-product of holiness. You get your life in order, and happiness soon will follow. That is why nonbelievers never will know true happiness. They’ll go after the devil’s cheap counterfeits, which are shallow, because they have no deep well from which to draw. The world’s concept of happiness depends on good things happening. In Psalm 119, we have God’s original design for happiness. We discover how to find and maintain holiness and, as a result, happiness in our lives. First, we learn that if we want to be holy (and therefore happy) people, then we are to walk in an undefiled way. Verses 1–3 say, “Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths” (NLT). But walking speaks of progression and moving forward as opposed to simply sitting still. So, if you want to be a truly happy and holy person, then it means that you should not only avoid what is wrong but also embrace and actively engage in what is right. While Scripture tells us in many places what we should not do, it also tells us what we should do. Those who see the Bible and the Christian life as merely a list of rules and regulations have not carefully examined the manual. Yes, God tells us what to avoid. Yes, He warns us of things that are perilous to our spiritual health. But at the same time, He tells us what to engage in and what we must do. The Bible tells us to “run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts.” But it also tells us to “pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2:22 NLT). The Bible also tells us, “Let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves” (Galatians 5:16 NLT). Those who are merely trying to avoid what is evil are missing it. There is more. It is not just what you do not do; it’s also what you do. We must engage in spiritual growth. We must engage in godly living. And we must walk in the way of the Lord. Yet there are many Christians who put in the bare minimum. They engage in spiritual pursuits only when it’s necessary, generally during times of crisis. When everything is going well, when the sky is blue, when the sun is out and the birds are singing, they don’t really have a thought about God. But when a crisis hits, when the storm clouds gather, suddenly they are calling on the Lord out of necessity. That is not the way to live. PROPHECY UPDATE NEWS HEADLINES Yesterday's Prophecies - Today's Headlines HEADLINES IN PARTNERSHIP WITH TRACKING BIBLE PROPHECY 8/22/24 http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php
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